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Niccolo Machiavelli, perhaps the shrewdest political philosopher in history, believed that great events were shaped by luck — or "fortuna" as he called this unpredictable force of life. The same actions might produce success or failure, depending on the whims of the goddess Fortuna. You wouldn't know it by listening to gloomy commentators, but the United States has been extremely lucky of late. Its inherent economic strength has become more obvious. Meanwhile, its adversaries have suffered reversals — some of their own making, others because of bad luck. With this advantageous position, the U.S. can afford to think like a superpower. It shouldn't rush to...

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Niccolo Machiavelli, perhaps the shrewdest political philosopher in history, believed that great events were shaped by luck — or "fortuna" as he called this unpredictable force of life. The same actions might produce success or failure,...

At the East of the River Chambers of Commerce Association's annual Economic Forecast Breakfast, Dr. Nicholas Perna –Economic Advisor to Webster Bank, former economics professor and frequent consultant for economic matters for local and national media –...

In the Gilded Age, Hartford was a wealthy city. That certainly wouldn't be true today — or would it?
Greater Hartford is listed as the second-richest urban area in the country, after Silicon Valley, and fourth-richest in the world, in the latest Metro...

Greater Hartford is the second-richest urban area in the country, after the Silicon Valley, and is fourth-richest in the world, according to the latest Metro Monitor study from the Brookings Institution.
Wait, what? Hartford is richer than Fairfield...

HARTFORD — After recessions, architects are like crocuses.
When developers, governments or nonprofits hire architects, it's what they call a leading economic indicator — those contracts will result in workers in hard hats with paychecks many months or...

This is the time when we make lists. The best movies of 2014. The best books. The funniest cartoons. The greatest photos. The most amazing sports performances. The 10 best botched athlete celebrations. (No kidding, The Washington Post ran that. You can...

HARTFORD — Federal health care reform gave more people medical coverage but did not adequately address the rising cost of health care, top insurance executives said Thursday at an industry convention.If there's a benefit to the rising costs of health...

Southeastern Connecticut's recession goes on and on and on, as the rest of the state sees a moderate recovery in the value of goods sold and salaries and bonuses paid.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis released preliminary estimates on GDP by metro area...

Someone who is determined to disbelieve something can manage to disregard an Everest of evidence for it. So Barack Obama will not temper his enthusiasm for increased equality with lucidity about the government's role in exacerbating inequality.
In the...

Connecticut residents spend more on average than almost anywhere else in the country. When the total spending on housing, utilities, health care, groceries, eating out, insurance, clothing and shoes and so on is divided by every man, woman and child, it...

A proposal to modestly increase Connecticut's minimum wage to $9.75 an hour by 2015 will provide vital income to the state's lowest-paid workers, all with a virtually negligible impact on businesses. Concerns that a wage increase would result in...

HARTFORD — Marquis Smith of New Haven takes home less than $300 a week from his minimum wage job at a mall gift shop.The 26-year-old Iraq War veteran is single and doesn't have kids, "but even with that being the case,'' he said, "it's still...

The following is an abridged version of a discussion on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/edpagecourant.Andrew Teixeira: I'm sorry ... I thought Congress had something to do with creating jobs?!?! Instead of clamoring to cut federal spending, maybe...

With his chronically gravelly voice and relentlessly liberal agenda, Sherrod Brown seems to have stepped out of "Les Miserables," hoarse from singing revolutionary anthems at the barricades. Today, Ohio's senior senator has a project worthy of...

While the nation's economy fell into its worst recession in at least 25 years, only 12 states saw their own total economic output fall last year, a new report shows. Connecticut was one of those states.
Connecticut's output, the total value of goods...

The New Haven and Hartford areas are faring better in the recession than most of the country's metropolitan areas, according to a report released Wednesday.
The Washington D.C.-based Brookings Institution, which studied the economic performance of the...

Consumer spending rebounded somewhat, but the economy shrank at a worse-than-expected 6.1 percent pace at the start of this year, reflecting sharp cutbacks by businesses and the biggest drop in U.S. exports in 40 years.
The 30 percent drop in exports,...

U.S. factories expanded last month at their weakest pace in a year, with orders, hiring and production all growing more slowly. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Monday that its manufacturing index slipped...

U.S. consumers spent less for a second consecutive month in January, but the weakness came from a big decline in gas prices. Excluding price changes, consumer spending was up in January and analysts expect strong income gains will fuel further solid...

Greece will prioritize debt repayments to the International Monetary Fund, some of which come due in March, but repayments to the European Central Bank are "in a different league" and will need discussion with Greece's creditors, the country's...